


Your arms they keep me steady

by YallHearSumn



Series: RhodeyTony tingz [2]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Alpha Sunset Bain, Alpha-esque version of it, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Baintronics, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Historical Inaccuracy, I barely know shit about the late 80s, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, Marriage, Marriage of Convenience, Married Couple, Married Life, Moving In Together, Omega Tony, Omega Tony Stark, Omega Verse, Or at least gives me the creeps, Patriarchy, Plot, Same-Sex Marriage, Social Issues, Sunset is creepy, Supportive James Rhodes, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark-centric, True Love, Weird Plot Shit, and shit, building up, getting jobs, newlyweds, paying bills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 13:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20546723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YallHearSumn/pseuds/YallHearSumn
Summary: Late 1988.Tony and Rhodey are back from honeymoon, fix up their place and plan for the future.





	Your arms they keep me steady

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy <3

_ _”I’ll be honest with you, James,” Ray says as he swings the apartment door open, “this place ain’t really kid-friendly, and it’s going to need a lot of work. It’s the cheapest I can get you at the moment, though.” _ _

_ _Stepping into the tiny living space, Rhodey lets go of Tony’s hand, letting him explore the apartment. While just two streets from his parent’s house, it wasn’t in as nice an area as he’d like. “It’s perfect, uncle Ray, Tony and I aren’t really thinking about kids yet. You really did us a solid.’ _ _

_ _”Definitely not,” Tony laughs, running a hand over the faux-marble counter. “It’s really not as bad as you made it sound, Ray. I was expecting cockroaches and rats, but the worst thing in here is probably those stains on the couch.” _ _

_ _”My bad,” Ray says amused, “we had a couple college kids in here before you. You might want to deep clean that thing before sitting anywhere near it. Better yet, throw that shit out.” _ _

_ _”We can barely afford a futon right now, Ray, that couch isn’t going anywhere.” _ _

_ _”Ain’t y’all just get back from honeymooning in Italy or some shit?” _ _

_ _Chuckling, Rhodey accepted the keys from Ray, sliding a hand into Tony’s back pocket. “Courtesy of his rich ass pops, you think either of us could afford that?” _ _

_ _”You both went to that fancy school, Nephew, thought you were making a little money on the side scamming rich white folks or something.” _ _

_ _”Wish I had, dude down the hall from me saw my spices on the shelf, and asked how much “a weed” cost.” _ _

_ _”You’re lucky my mom’s Italian,” Tony winks up at him, “I know what oregano is.” _ _

_ _”Well, that’s the kitchen of course, and this is the living room, there’s a bathroom down the hall and those are the bedrooms, master’s across from the bathroom and I guess you can do anything you want with the other, turn it into a hobby room or something since y’all ain’t looking to have kids,” Ray says, motioning to the different rooms and showing them the layout. _ _

_ _While not in the best shape, Tony honestly wouldn’t call the place a dump either. The floors looked to be in good shape; a good polishing would have them shined up in no time and clearing up the dust would give them a good indication of what needed to be replaced or fixed. Sanding and varnishing the window sills and doors would bring the place to life, and a good coat of paint would make all the difference. It would take work, but home was home, besides, if they rented the place out once he joined Rhodey in California, they could charge more for the work done. _ _

_ _Ending the pseudo-tour (cause really, the place wasn’t all that big), Ray makes his way to the door, jiggling the handle as he steps out. “Well, I’m not going to hold y’all up. Couple things before I go: electricity’s a little messed up in this place so be careful with the plugs and lights, and I ain’t completely sure if the oven still works all that good. Stove’s aight, you just gotta wait a bit for it to warm up, and y’all know there ain’t no heat in here, I mean you can try to get it going if you want. Talk to Linda on the first floor if you got any other problems. Stay safe nephew, Tony.” _ _

_ _Finally alone, they turn to each other, tentative smiles playing on their lips. “It’s no Hilton, but it can be home.” _ _

_ _”That was really corny, Rhodey,” Tony says with amusement, opening the large window in front of the kitchen sink to let light in. “Your mom’s going to be by later, let’s at least try to clean the place up a bit.” _ _

_ _”You going to wear a maid costume, Babe?” Rhodey teases, sidling up behind Tony and peppering kisses across his toned shoulders, bared in a figure-hugging halter top he bought in Rome. _ _

_ _”Maybe later, when we have the bed set up.” _ _

_ _”We christening this place?” _ _

_ _”Every. Damn. Inch,” Tony promises between kisses. _ _

_ _*** _ _

_ _”Anything good in the mail?” Tony shouts from the kitchen, stove top off and insides taken apart, a host of tools spread out on towels on the counters. _ _

_ _Kicking the door shut with his heel, Rhodey drops the grocery bags on their tiny dining table, shifting through the mail. “No summons yet, we got a couple of coupons though.” _ _

_ _”Hey, as long as there aren’t any bills, I’m happy.” _ _

_ _Reaching over to squeeze Tony’s ass, Rhodey drops a quick kiss on his lips, narrowly avoiding the grease smeared on his cheeks. “Where did you get these tools?” _ _

_ _”Huh? Oh, from Clarence down the hall. Power tripped while I was cooking, I asked if he had any tools. By the way, we have really interesting neighbours, did you know he owns a club? And Jason is a whole lawyer. There’s mac-and-cheese in the fridge by the way, you’re going to have to eat it cold though.” _ _

_ _”Yeah, he either owns the jazz bar downtown, or the strip club by Gianni’s. Jason’s been an enigma, got the money to move but says he likes the neighbourhood,” Rhodey says packing the groceries away. “You manage to get the hot water going?” _ _

_ _”Didn’t find the time yet, but- I did manage to get the oven working, check it.” Tony twists a knob, the oven light going on, a fan whirring without struggle and the air by his leg heating up slowly. _ _

_ _”Hey, that’s what I’m talking about, Babe!” Rhodey exclaims excitedly, engulfing Tony into his arms and dropping a kiss on his lip. “I should leave you alone more often.” _ _

_ _”Mm hmm, I’ll handle the electricity as long as you get the plumbing fixed, no need to leave me alone for that” Tony murmurs against his lips, running a thumb over the light stubble on Rhodey’s cheek. “Tell you what, how about you fix up that light switch in the bedroom and I’ll finish up in here, and we can have a little we-time. Maybe order in? Mrs Carter gave me ten whole bucks for fixing her engine this afternoon,” he adds in a sing-song voice. _ _

_ _Diving in to press a longing kiss to Tony’s lips, Rhodey strokes his hands over pliant flesh. ”I’ll take you up on that, Mr Mechanic.” _ _

_ _*** _ _

_ _”Well, this is it.” _ _

_ _”Yeah, no backing out now.” _ _

_ _Rhodey gives his hand a gentle squeeze, pulling Tony aside leaning him against a pillar. “You can still back out, Honey. If you really don’t want to do this, we can head back home right now – you can go on fixing cars and I’ll make something work in the meantime.” _ _

_ _”No, I want to do this. I have to. I worked my ass off for that degree, I’m getting this job,” Tony says with determination, straightening his spine and wiping imaginary dust off of the lapels of his blazer. _ _

_ _Dropping a soft kiss to Tony’s forehead, Rhodey curls a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “As long as you’re sure, Baby, if anything happens or you want to back out at any moment, I’ll be right here,” Rhodey promises, sliding a hand down Tony’s arm to hold his hand and press soft kisses to his knuckles. The wedding band fit snugly on Tony’s ring finger catches the light, bringing a smile to Rhodey’s face. _ _

_ _”See you when I get out, wish me luck- say a prayer to Tesla or something,” Tony shoots over his shoulder, balancing precariously on the kitten heels Rhodey’s sister had loaned him. For all the change and progress in the past two decades, Omega’s were still expected to wear more feminine styles of clothing in the work place, no matter their primary gender designation, or the job title. _ _

_ _”You got it, Babe.” _ _

_ _*** _ _

_ _By the time Tony gets called in for his interview, he’d already gone through fifteen different Forbes magazines from the past decade, Howard’s face splashed here and there causing a pit to grow in Tony’s stomach. _ _

_ _He’s shuffled into a stylish office, a wall of windows facing the busyness and traffic of downtown Philly, strange art pieces and awards covering the rest of the walls. _ _

_ _The interviewer introduces himself as Mr Cohen, looking incredibly uncomfortable as he reads through Tony’s admittedly short CV. While he was likely the most qualified and experienced out of all the candidates, Tony was still an Omega, and one whose only experience came from Stark Industries, Baintronics toughest competitor. Tony had listed a member of the workshop, Dave a sweet older Alpha who’d helped him around the shop since before he was even old enough to build his own circuit board, as his reference, hoping he’d help Tony out if Baintronics actually did call and check. _ _

_ _”So, Mister… Stark, you understand our concerns, yes? We here at Baintronics pride ourselves on our cutting edge technology and innovative _original_ ideas. You see how hiring the son of one of our main competitors is a bit... problematic.” _ _ __

__

__

_ _Playing nervously with his ring, Tony shifts forward trying his best at a reassuring smile. “It’s actually Rhode now, Sir, and I completely understand your predicament but you honestly have nothing to worry about. See, my father disowned me a couple of months ago, and he’s actually serious this time so no need to worry about me stealing your company secrets or anything crazy like that. Anyway, I figured, why wait around for him to come around, you know? I’ve got a degree, well two actually- computer science is a relatively new field, but I mean we’re in the age of technological progression, aren’t we?” Tony rambles, consciously trying to stop his nervous tics and straightening his spine, an effortless-looking smile sliding on his face with ease. _ _

_ _”Ah yes, you were caught with an Alpha while you were unmarried, no?” Cohen asks, peering at Tony over his coke-bottle lenses. _ _

_ _”At the time we were unmarried yes, but we got bonded a few months ago, I- uh listed it over there, Sir. My Alpha husband is Sergeant James Rhodes - currently in the US Airforce reserves; I’ve got a copy of our marriage certificate righ-” _ _

_ _”Tony Stark!” came a mock-surprised exclamation from the doorway, the shrill annoying shrill voice recognisable no matter how hard he’d tried to scrub his brain free of it. There, standing in all her demonic glory, stood Sunset Bain. How that power suit was able to hold so much evilness was honestly a mystery science could never explain. _ _

_ _”I heard you were in, but I honestly couldn’t believe it. Is Wade treating you well?” She howls (okay she didn’t, but that’s what it sounded like, okay?). Addressing the man sitting behind the large desk now, she twirls a lock of hair. “Tony here is one of the smartest I’ve ever seen, brain as sharp as a fillet knife.” _ _

_ _”Ms Bain, I was-wasn’t expecting you, p-please, have a s-s-seat,” Cohen stutters out, scrambling to pull up a chair beside him. _ _

_ _”No need, Wade, I’ll just slide next to our good friend Tony over here,” she says batting up a tornado with her lashes and leering at Tony. While Howard wasn’t a great father, he did at least make sure Tony was as insufferably civil as could be; cool as a cucumber no matter how uncomfortable he felt. _ _

_ _Rising up, Tony straightens out his skirt, extending a hand to the blonde woman making her way over to him. “Ms Bain, it’s been too long. I hope you’ve been well,” Tony states, pushing down his discomfort at Sunset placing a hand on his shoulder. _ _

_ _”I’ve been great, even better now that I’ve seen you, Honey,” every one of her teeth seem to have their own pair of teeth- a predator staring down its prey. She motions them to take their seat, delicately snatching Tony’s credentials off the desk and feigning interest in them. As tired and worn-out as he was right now, Tony’s pretty sure he’d just start crying if they kept him here under the pretence of an interview only to humiliate him. _ _

_ _”Oh, I see you’re under the care of an Alpha Rhodes now, is that your… friend?” she asks, tilting her head slightly in his direction. _ _

_ _”My Alpha, Miss. We’ve been married for the past three months now.” _ _

_ _”An airman, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really ever see you with someone so… boring,” she leers with that annoying shark-smile, and it takes everything in Tony to not claw her eyes out. _ _

_ _Composing himself and shooting a smirk her way, Tony pivots to face Cohen again. “With all due respect, I don’t believe this is the appropriate space or time to discuss my partner. The job, Sir?” _ _

_ _Cohen, who’d spent most of the exchange eyeing the two of them, straightens, his attention back to the matter-at-hand. “Yes, as I expressed to Mr Rhodes, his affiliation with Stark Industries proves to be a bit of a problem, as it could cause a conflict of interest. I’d intended to get top management involved, as I’d love to shortlist Mr Rhodes for the position, however, his connects to SI cannot be ignored.” _ _

_ _”Oh, there’s no need for that, Wade. Haven’t you seen the news?” At Cohen’s confusion, she promptly beams, turning to grasp Tony’s hands in hers. “Tony’s daddy named Obadiah Stane his heir, and all mention and record of Tony at SI has been removed.” _ _

_ _A little shocked at the news himself, Tony draws back, schooling his face and more determined than ever. Howard was moving on and building his future, why shouldn’t Tony? “Well, you heard it, Sir. Nothing to worry about.” _ _

_ _*** _ _

_ _Rhodey is waiting for him leaned up against a pillar, a charm-filled smile easily sliding onto his face once he spots Tony. Nearing him, Tony spies the bouquet of white roses – a symbol of new beginnings- and myrtle (good luck, and ironically love in a marriage). Tony fleetingly wonders if Rhodey had asked the florist for these specific flowers, or whether he just thought they looked pretty together. Knowing Rhodey, he definitely put a lot more thought other than aesthetics into the gift. _ _

_ _”And?” Rhodey sidles up to him, presenting the flowers and wrapping his arms around his tiny Omega. _ _

_ _”Well, we’ll definitely be buying that TV sooner than planned,” Tony jokes, and leaning up to place a chaste kiss on Rhodey’s lips. _ _

_ _”See? Knew you would kill it, Babe. They would have been crazy not to give you the job. Guess we’re going to have to stop by the bank and get you your own account, it would make sending money a lot easier too.” _ _

_ _Looking down, Rhodey’s surprised (and a lot scared) at the wet eyes he meets. “What’s wrong, Baby? What did I say?” he rushes out panicked. _ _

_ _Through sniffles and an embarrassed laugh, Tony finds himself wiping at a stream of tears. “I just never had a bank account of my own before, I never really had anything that was mine before you came along” he finally manages to get out, laughing at the confusion on Rhodey’s face. _ _

_ _”I mean, yes, I had money and things, but that was all Howard’s,” Tony clarifies, locking his hand in Rhodey’s as they made their way through the streets. _ _

_ _Well, this is just the beginning of what you deserve, Tones,” Rhodey says, squeezing his hand gently and drawing him close. “How about we get pizza after to celebrate?’ _ _

_ _Wrinkling his nose up at the mention of pizza, Tony suggests the Greek place down the street instead, receiving a surprised glance from Rhodey. _ _

_ _”Wow, three seconds in the job and your tastes are already getting fancy,” Rhodey jokes, earning a light-hearted laugh from Tony in return. _ _

_ _Winking at Rhodey and giving a nudge to his side, Tony flicks his hair out of his face. ”We’re moving on up in life, Babe- so should our tastes.” _ _

_ _Swinging an arm over Tony’s shoulders, Rhodey just laughs and guides him through the sea of people. _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Now y'all know I wouldn't be offended by a kudos and a comment, *wink wink*


End file.
